The End of the World as We Know It

After reading the book “Packing for Mars”, my definition of the universe was reinforced. The universe is a giant void of the unknown. As we go through all of the expense, as well as the trials and tribulations associated space exploration, it makes you wonder if it is really worth it. In all of the years that NASA has been sending missions to space, very little concrete scientific evidence has come from it. The greatest achievement from launching people and items into the void has come in the form of satellites. But even those have created a major scientific issue while attempting to help scientific progress, in the form of space junk. On a clear night last summer my family and I, with a regular power telescope, could see shadows cast on the moon from the floating debris that we have abandoned in space. It is not enough that we have pollution issues on Earth but we have also created a field of debris that acts like a shield around our planet. If you believe in conspiracy theories this will eventually come to our aid if alien life was to attack, but it also puts every subsequent space mission at risk because of the danger it presents. The problem also lies in the fact of how much we rely on those same satellites for information in today’s world. What would happen if we could no longer replace satellites once they are decommissioned? Would the world be able to continue with advances in technology and forecasting, when these satellites play a major role? I think that the original plan for the space program has been altered so many times since it first started that it has lost its focus. Are all of the obstacles describe in the book worth the reward? Instead of space exploration, maybe we should just stick with what we know.